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Australian Grand Prix – Information, schedule, stream

The third round of this year’s Formula 1 season is slowly but surely around the corner. The weekend of 31 March to 2 April sees the Australian Grand Prix, the third race of the twenty-three scheduled this year. So what is the schedule and where can you follow the race weekend?

Published

1 year ago

27. 3. 2023

Tomáš Myšák

Zdroj: Clive Mason, Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Formula 1 has 23 grand prix events scheduled for 2023, with the third being the Australian Grand Prix, the full official name of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

The first grand prix was held at the Melbourne circuit in 1996 and for many years served as the opening race of the season. Last year, however, the race returned to the calendar of the queen of motorsport after two years.

With the 2020 race not being raced in Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 season simply didn’t fit the race into the calendar. The Australian Grand Prix, however, is a very popular race for many fans and literally a matter of the heart.

The race will be scheduled for 58 laps, during which the drivers will cover over 306 kilometres. The fastest lap on this circuit is held by 2022’s Charles Leclerc, who set a time of 1:20.260. He also won last year’s grand prix.

Albert Park Circuit

The circuit is currently 5.278km long and consists of fourteen corners, with modifications for the 2022 season ensuring that it is currently one of the faster circuits on the F1 calendar.

The Albert Park Circuit, as the official name of the circuit reads, is set to offer four DRS zones with two detection points! The first one is to be located at the exit of Turn 6 and the second one before Turn 13.

In addition to the detection points, you can also see the average speeds that the drivers reach in each corner, as well as which gear they usually shift into in that corner.

Australian Grand Prix – programme

The race programme at the Melbourne circuit will kick off at 3.30am on Friday 31 March, when drivers and teams will take part in the first free practice session (officially called Free Practice 1 – ed.). A second practice session will start at 07:00 the same day.

Both will last the standard one hour. The same applies to FP3, which is scheduled for Saturday 1 April and will start at the same time as the opening practice on Friday. Saturday morning (07:00) will then be followed by qualifying, which will determine the order for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

All five lights on the Albert Park Circuit will go out on Sunday, April 2, at 07:00 sharp.

Australian Grand Prix – stream

Live coverage of the F1 race can be watched on Sport 1 and Sport 2, where you can switch between Czech or Slovak audio. But there is also F1 TV, where you can switch between the onboard cameras of the individual drivers.

But F1 TV also offers other features, such as livetiming and detailed telemetry. In addition to the full F1 programme, you can also watch press conferences or practice sessions and F2 or F3 qualifying.

Australian Grand Prix – odds and predictions

The start of the season is clearly in Red Bull’s favour so far, with its drivers scoring a double in both races so far. Max Verstappen won in Bahrain ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez, with the order reversed in Saudi Arabia.

It should be noted, each of the opening three tracks is vastly different. In Bahrain, the rear tyres suffer and often overheat, which can result in excessive degradation. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is always demanding on engines and reliability, with teams struggling to get their tyres up to the ideal temperature window.

As for Albert Park, a lot of work has been done for 2022 and the track has undergone various changes. The circuit has received a resurfacing, but this means that it can get properly slippery for drivers in the opening stages of the race weekend. In Melbourne, getting the car set-up and brake balance right, and consequently the stability of the monopost in the slow corners, could be crucial.

So it’s safe to say that Max Verstappen in the Red Bull could once again be the main favourite for victory. Given the configuration of the circuit, Ferrari or Mercedes could also join the battle for the podium.